Shifting center-of-balance weights

ABSTRACT

A series of weights in various sizes and configurations, where a fluid, including but not limited to water, moves and shifts inside the hollow body or bodies of the weight, thereby providing a shifting center-of-gravity to the device during use. This shifting requires greater effort from the user to maintain stability, and results in faster and greater muscular development over a standard set of weights with a fixed center of gravity. The body may comprise any desired shape or form, such as an oval, rectangle, square, or circle, and may have rounded corners or ends in order to promote flow of the fluid or water inside the body. The body also may comprise one or more connectors extending between body parts. One or more handles may be affixed to the body.

This application claims benefit of and priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/490,225, filed May 26, 2011, by Bernard Farber, et al., and is entitled to that filing date for priority. The specification, figures and complete disclosure of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/490,225 are incorporated herein by specific reference for all purposes.

FIELD OF INVENTION

This invention relates to an apparatus for weight lifting and training where the center-of-balance of the weight shifts during use.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The use of dumbbells or kettlebells as weights for exercise is well known. These generally comprise a solid iron or steel weight with a handle. They may be integral, or there may be a handle to which matching pairs of solid weights are securely affixed. In either configuration, however, the distribution of mass in the weight, and thus the center of gravity, is fixed.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

In various embodiments, the present invention comprises a series of weights in various sizes and configurations, where a fluid, including but not limited to water, moves and shifts inside the body of the weight, thereby providing a shifting center-of-gravity to the device during use. This shifting requires greater effort from the user to maintain stability, and results in faster and greater muscular development over a standard set of weights with a fixed center of gravity.

In one exemplary embodiment, the device comprises an elongated weight with a main body that is hollow inside. The body may be tubular, circular, square, rectangular, or some other shape in cross section. The body may form any desired shape or form, such as an oval, rectangle, square, or circle. In one exemplary embodiment, the main body shape may have rounded corners or ends in order to promote flow of the fluid or water inside the body, although other embodiments may have forms with sharper corners, or with no corners. The body also may comprise one or more connectors extending between body parts. These connectors may be hollow, and may or may not be in fluid connection with the main body.

The weight of a particular configuration or shape of the main body without fluid may itself vary, so that the addition of increasing amounts of fluid will increase the total weight from the unfilled base weight upwards. This allows a user to begin working with a body with a lower base weight, then graduate to higher base weight bodies (which may be identical or different in size and shape) for increased resistance. The base weight can vary based upon the material used for the body or components, the addition of a dense material (including, but not limited to, steel or iron) to the body or components (the dense material may be embedded or permanently affixed to the body or components, or removable), or the like.

A single weight may have two or more fluid-containing bodies, which may or may not be in fluid connection with each other. Thus, for example, a weight in the configuration of a standard dumbbell (i.e., two bodies with a handle between) may be used, with the body at each end in isolation and fillable separately (i.e., fluid moves around in each body separately). Alternatively, the same configuration may have the bodies in fluid communication (i.e., through a hollow handle), so that the fluid can move from one body to the other (i.e., in effect, a single body).

One or more handles may be affixed to the body at various points. The handles may or may not be hollow, and may or may not be in fluid connection with the main body or connectors, so that the fluid or water may move through them as well. The handles may be padded. In exemplary embodiment, the handles are arranged to extend across the inside of the body so the main body generally is outside the handle or handles. This latter arrangement increases the effect of the shifting of the center-of-gravity as the fluid or water moves during use, although one or more handles may also be positioned on the exterior of the body.

A fluid such as water is inserted into the body through one or more filling holes or ports, which are then plugged. The plugging may be accomplished by any means known in the art to provide a water-tight and lead-proof seal, including, but not limited to, a threaded plug that is screwed into the hole.

The body may be filled in whole or in part, depending on the desired weight and shifting effect. In one embodiment, the body may be filled from 25% to 75% of the interior volume of the body to provide a combination of sufficient weight while allowing for substantial movement and shifting during use. Fluids of different densities may be used, other than water.

In one exemplary embodiment, all or a portion of the body (such as a window or tube or gauge) may be transparent or translucent, so that the level or amount of water or fluid being inserted can be seen. In one embodiment, a series of lines or marks can be placed on the body to be used as an indicator for when a certain desired weight has been reached due to filling a certain amount of fluid (i.e., based on the density of the water, volume filled to that point). These indicators may be placed so that the proper indication is given when the weight is held so that the filling hole or port is held at or near the top.

The body and other components may be made of any suitable material, including but not limited to plastic. The bodies and other components can be any color, transparent, translucent, patterned or any combination thereof. The body and other components may be rigid (i.e., they do not collapse, and are not inflatable) in order to promote fluid flow through the structure and the rapidity with which the center-of-gravity shifts. Rigid components also are easier for a user to hold and manipulate during use.

In yet another embodiment, some or all parts of the body may be padded or covered with a padding material. In one embodiment, pads may be affixed to the interior side or circumference of the body. In this position, the pads help protect the user's hands or feet during use of the weight.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a weight in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 shows a perspective and cut-away view of another weight in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

In various embodiments, the present invention comprises a series of weights in various sizes and configurations, where a fluid, including, but not limited to, water, moves and shifts inside the body of the weight, thereby providing a shifting center-of-gravity to the device during use. This shifting requires greater effort from the user to maintain stability, and results in faster and greater muscular development over a standard set of weights with a fixed center of gravity.

FIG. 1 shows an exemplary embodiment of an elongated weight with a main body 10 that is hollow inside. The body may be tubular, circular, square, rectangular, or some other shape in cross section. The body may form any desired shape or form, such as an oval, rectangle, square, or circle. In one exemplary embodiment, the main body shape has rounded corners or ends in order to promote flow of the fluid or water inside the body, although other embodiments may have forms with sharper corners, or with no corners. The body also may comprise one or more connectors 16 extending between body parts; these connectors may be hollow, and may or may not be in fluid connection with the main body.

The weight of a particular configuration or shape of the main body without fluid may itself vary, so that the addition of increasing amounts of fluid will increase the total weight from the unfilled base weight upwards. This allows a user to begin working with a body with a lower base weight, then graduate to higher base weight bodies (which may be identical or different in size and shape) for increased resistance. The base weight can vary based upon the material used for the body or components, the addition of a dense material (including, but not limited to, steel or iron) to the body or components (the dense material may be embedded or permanently affixed to the body or components, or removable), or the like.

A single weight may have two or more bodies, which may or may not be in fluid connection with each other. Thus, for example, a weight in the configuration of a standard dumbbell (i.e., two bodies with a handle between) may be used, with the body at each end in isolation and fillable separately (i.e., fluid moves around in each body separately). Alternatively, the same configuration may have the bodies in fluid communication (i.e., through a hollow handle), so that the fluid can move from one body to the other (i.e., in effect, a single body). One or more handles 14 may be affixed to the body at various points; as shown in

FIG. 1, two handles may be used. The handles may or may not be hollow, and may or may not be in fluid connection with the main body or connectors, so that the fluid or water may move through them as well. The handles may be padded. In exemplary embodiment, the handles are arranged to extend across the inside of the body so the main body generally is outside the handle or handles, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. This latter arrangement increases the effect of the shifting of the center-of-gravity as the fluid or water moves during use.

A fluid such as water is inserted into the body through one or more filling holes or ports, which are then plugged 12. The plugging may be accomplished by any means known in the art to provide a water-tight and lead-proof seal, including, but not limited to, a threaded plug that is screwed into the hole.

The body may be filled in whole or in part, depending on the desired weight and shifting effect. In one embodiment, the body should be filled from 25% to 75% of the interior volume of the body to provide a combination of sufficient weight while allowing for substantial movement and shifting during use. Fluids of different densities may be used, other than water.

The dimensions of the body can vary. In one exemplary embodiment, the body is circular with a 12 inch diameter. In another exemplary embodiment, the body is rectangular, 31 inches in length and 12 inches in width. The height of the body (or diameter, where the body is tubular or circular in cross-section) is approximately 3 inches. Other dimensions for these same forms may be used.

In one exemplary embodiment, all or a portion of the body (such as a window 22) may be transparent or translucent, so that the level or amount of water or fluid being inserted can be seen. In one embodiment, a series of lines or marks 24 can be placed on the body to be used as an indicator for when a certain desired weight has been reached due to filling a certain amount of fluid (i.e., based on the density of the water, volume filled to that point). These indicators may be placed so that the proper indication is given when the weight is held so that the filling hole or port is held at or near the top.

The body and other components may be made of any suitable material, including but not limited to plastic. The bodies and other components can be any color, transparent, translucent, patterned or any combination thereof. The body and other components may be rigid (i.e., they do not collapse, and are not inflatable) in order to promote fluid flow through the structure and the rapidity with which the center-of-gravity shifts. Rigid components also are easier for a user to hold and manipulate during use.

In yet another embodiment, some or all parts of the body may be padded or covered with a padding material. In one embodiment, as seen in FIG. 1, pads 20 may be affixed to the interior side or circumference of the body. In this position, the pads help protect the user's hands or feet during use of the weight.

Thus, it should be understood that the embodiments and examples described herein have been chosen and described in order to best illustrate the principles of the invention and its practical applications to thereby enable one of ordinary skill in the art to best utilize the invention in various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited for particular uses contemplated. Even though specific embodiments of this invention have been described, they are not to be taken as exhaustive. There are several variations that will be apparent to those skilled in the art. 

What is claimed is:
 1. An exercise device, comprising: at least one hollow body; at least one handle affixed to the body; wherein the hollow body is partially filled with a fluid so that the center of gravity of the device shifts when moved.
 2. The device of claim 1, wherein the handle is hollow and in fluid communication with the hollow body.
 3. The device of claim 1, comprising two hollow bodies connected by a handle.
 4. The device of claim 3, wherein the handle is hollow and the two bodies and the handle are in fluid communication with each other.
 5. The device of claim 3, wherein the two bodies are not in fluid communication with each other.
 6. The device of claim 1, wherein the body forms the circumference of a polygonal shape with an open center or interior.
 7. The device of claim 6, wherein the body forms a circle.
 8. The device of claim 6, wherein the body forms an oval or rectangle.
 9. The device of claim 6, wherein the body forms a rectangle with rounded corners or ends.
 10. The device of claim 1, wherein the body is a sphere.
 11. The device of claim 1, wherein the body is a cube.
 12. The device of claim 6, wherein the body is tubular or circular in cross-section.
 13. The device of claim 6, wherein the body is a square or rectangle with rounded corners in cross section.
 14. The device of claim 9, further wherein the body comprises a crosspiece extending across the center of the rectangle, with two handles, each handle extending from opposite sides of the crosspiece to corresponding ends of the rectangle.
 15. The device of claim 1, further comprising a filling port in the body.
 16. The device of claim 1, wherein the fluid is water.
 17. The device of claim 1, further comprising a transparent or translucent window in a side of the body to determine the amount of fluid in the body.
 18. The device of claim 17, wherein the window is marked.
 19. The device of claim 1, further comprising one or more pads or padded areas on the body. 